


The Spy & The Shroud

by GiftsofGab



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, F/M, Gen, Humor, Nora is a goob, Silver Shroud - Freeform, Some distant semblance of humor and romance, clean, sorry - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-20
Updated: 2017-10-05
Packaged: 2018-12-31 19:49:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12139827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GiftsofGab/pseuds/GiftsofGab
Summary: The Shroud is keen to deliver swift justice to evildoers in Goodneighbor, but not everyone is onboard with her activities.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Incomplete. 3 full chapters at the moment, working on the fourth. More to come~. Comments, critiques, and typo alerts are certainly appreciated!

“There he is again,” Nora pondered aloud as a loose noodle fell from her mouth and into its bowl. Nick Valentine sat beside her at the bar in the Hotel Rexford, not eating but leaning on the countertop over an opened notepad.

Nick, still invested in his case notes, didn’t look up, but offered, “Who?”

“The guard from Diamond City.” Nora made no effort to hide her staring as she took another mouthful of the curly ramen. Cheek full and brows raised over big eyes, she watched as the Diamond City guard, now dressed in a brown checked shirt and khakis, moved from the entrance into the lobby. Dark sunglasses covered his eyes, but she knew the bald head, the visible crow’s feet, and the strong jawline. She had also seen him relaxing at Bunker Hill, or thought she might have, not thinking much about it at the time.

The guard moved directly to the concierge’s desk, not looking around at all. The desk attendant Clair clacked away at her terminal then gave the man a key. He slid it off the counter as Nora saw his lips form a “thank you.” He then headed for the stairs to the rooms.

Nora shrugged and spun her stool back around to face the counter. The remaining noodles were slurped directly from the side of the bowl. With a satisfied sigh, she clapped the dish down on the counter. Nick winced at the sound.

“Well, should I get a room?” she asked.

“Go on.”

Nora spun around once more then slid off the seat. She moved to the concierge’s desk and asked for a room, leaning on the counter with a curve in her back. As Clair searched for the proper key, Nora’s eyes wandered to the balcony above. She caught a quick glance at the guard moving into one of the rooms for rent. Once Clair had given her the key and the caps were paid, Nora called for Nick and the two went upstairs.

The room was less than impressive, with a suspicious hole in one wall and boarded windows, but Nora appreciated it all the same. Nick noticed the hole and, while he had nothing to block it with, moved an armchair close to the bed to obscure the view of the potential sleeper. Nora looked through her backpack and pulled out a decent toothbrush and a can of purified water.

“You doing okay?” Nick adjusted the sleeve rolls of his trenchcoat as he settled into the chair. “Seems like Preston’s missions only get tougher.”

“Yeah, I’m just beat. I’m gonna go wash my mouth then be right to bed.” She feigned a yawn that turned into a real one.

“I’ll power down then. Wake me whenever you’re ready to head out.”

“Sounds good. Goodnight, Nick.”

The synth’s yellow eyes faded and he slumped forward in his chair as the power left his body. Nora stared for a moment, then waved a hand in front of the detective’s eyes. Once she was sure he was out, she looked to her Pip-Boy and clicked on the radio.

“Not the face!” shouted an overly-dramatic villain’s voice over the radio waves. “Curse you, Shrouuuuud!!” Nora plopped onto the bed and listened. After the Silver Shroud and his leading lady exchanged victorious cheers, static followed the broadcast.

“Calling the Silver Shroud!” Kent Connolly came in loud and clear. Nora moved her face closer to the device’s screen. She was glad the stars aligned so Kent’s mission was given on a night she was in town. Most days she wandered with Nick, doing odd-jobs for the Minutemen in an attempt to gain aid in the search for her son. She had been heading back to Sanctuary Hills to report to Preston when she stopped in Goodneighbor for a well-deserved rest. At least, she had told Nick it was to rest. There was always evil afoot in Goodneighbor, and a hero’s visit could never hurt.

Kent went on. “I got word of a shady deal going down in the alleys tonight! I don’t have many details, but an anonymous source has left a note telling me the perpetrator has been stealing, axing people, and even kicked a dog!”

Nora nodded as if Kent could see her through the screen. “The Shroud is on her way!” She leapt from the bed and left the hotel room, locking it behind her.

Outside the Hotel Rexford, in a shack not private enough to call a legitimate bathroom, she closed the curtain and crouched beside the toilet as she felt along the back of it. She smiled as she found the bundle wrapped in newspaper right where she had left it.

She emerged from the stall with a swift side-swipe of the curtain, the rings of which jangled in the dark. She now wore the famous silver trenchcoat and hat. “The Shroud is on the case!!” she announced in a deep, comically serious voice.

“The Shroud can shut up!” moaned a drifter asleep on the mattress beside the stall.

“Ah,” Nora said softly. “Sorry.”

A loud shush came from another mattress. Nora closed her mouth tight, lips curled in on each other, then tip-toed to the mouth of an alley.

“Evildoers beware!” she exclaimed still in a whisper. The stone walls of the alley were cool as she moved a gloved hand along them. “For the Silver Shroud is on the hunt. None are safe from her swif- whoa!”

Her collar was snatched up as she rounded the corner at the end of the alley. Nora was pinned against the bricks by one strong arm across her shoulders and one tight hand clutching up both of hers.

“Unhand me, citizen!” she demanded before focusing. Her eyes were met uncomfortably closely by a pair of dark lenses. A checkered afghan covered all but the sunglasses. The figure said nothing as it stared blankly into her eyes shaded by her grey hat’s rim and the dark of the near-moonless night.

“I,” she stuttered at the lack of action on the attacker’s behalf. “I have come to dispense justice, and will make it as painless as possible!”

Another moment of inactivity passed. Eventually, the figure shoved Nora tighter against the wall before releasing her. She rubbed her now-sore shoulders with both hands crossed over her chest. “Who goes?” she asked, still in character.

“Give it a rest, lady.” It was a man’s voice, and one she knew but couldn’t quite place.

The stranger unwrapped the fabric from his mouth. Light stubble lined a strong jaw. Wide nostrils met a round-ended nose. As he removed the afghan entirely, she recognized him. The bald head sealed it. She had spoken to him several times before- asking directions in Diamond City and making unrequited conversation at Bunker Hill.

“Hey, you’re that-” His hand clapped over her mouth.

“C’mon, Nora. Keep it down. We need to ta- eugh!” He pulled his hand away sharply and looked at it in disgust. “You licked me??”

Nora shrugged indifferently.

“Real nice; real mature.” He moved to wipe it on her Shroud costume, but she grabbed his hand and twisted it up against his outstretched arm. “Ow, oww!” he whined.

“First thing’s first,” she stated in her normal voice. “Don’t touch me again.” She gave his wrist a sharp twist before releasing it. He held it with his opposite hand and winced. “Second, how do you know my name?”

He tried to regain his composure. “I know everything about you. But don’t worry- that’s kind of my job.”

“Being a creepy stalker is kind of your job?”

“How quickly we judge, lady hunting people in a trenchcoat at midnight.”

She rolled her eyes. “Who do you work for then?”

“Ah-ah. That’s for me to know and for you to find out.”

One of her eyebrows raised under the hat’s rim. “Yeah, that’s how questions work- I asked so I can find out.”

“In due time.” He apprehensively reached for her hat. She flinched and moved to stop him, but when he pulled back then gingerly tried again, she only looked on in contempt. He placed the hat on his own head and twirled around, taking a few steps about the alley.

“I wanted to talk with you, so I sent Kent a little message. It’s no secret someone parading as the Silver Shroud has been policing Goodneighbor. That’s what we need to talk about.”

“I’m only doing what the Neighborhood Watch won’t.”

“Therein lies our problem.” He took a pack of cigarettes from the back pocket of the holey jeans he now wore. He shook them so that one extended from the box which he pointed towards her in offering. She swatted it away and he shrugged, placing the cig between his lips and putting the box away. “The Watch don’t go around shooting people willy-nilly.”

“Are you sure? Because I’ve seen two guys put down in the streets and I’ve been here, like, 3 times.”

“Okay, maybe they’re a little trigger happy.” He lit his cigarette and inhaled. “But there’s method to their madness.” He blew the smoke out the side of his mouth away from her.

“What are you getting at?”

“Look, you just came out here to shiv a guy with no evidence.” He spoke with his hands, the ash shaking off the butt. “You’re not even here on the word of Kent, but some anonymous someone,” he pointed to himself with his thumb, “saying they got a hot tip about a creep in an alley.”

“And here you are.” She berated him with a smug grin.

“Sweetheart, I may be a creep, but I’m not worthy of shanking. Not lately anyway. The thing is, you almost killed a guy I’m supposed to be protecting. Well, not a guy per say.”

“Brevity is the soul of wit, y’know.”

“Then here’s the skinny: your little game of dress-up has got to end.”

“How quickly we judge, guy wearing a different uniform each time I see him.”

“Touche,” he admitted with a smirk. He threw down the cigarette and swiped it out with his sneaker. “You know Valentine- you know about synths.”

“Sure.”

“Last month, Mr. Connolley alerted you to a meeting in this very alley. Couple of guys were up to some shady business and a synth Triggerman happened to be among them. You took out his boss, with excellent precision- I’ll give credit where it’s due- but left his goons maimed.”

She looked at him with confusion. “So killing the human bodyguard would have been just fine, but you’re upset about the synth one?”

“Them’s the breaks. That’s my job. Save the synths, belay what harm comes to bystanders.” He shrugged and rubbed the back of his neck. He didn’t like it, but what he said was essentially true.

Nora, however, could read no disdain on his face, and not just because of the large sunglasses and the darkness of the night. She almost wanted to admit the stranger had a point. The Shroud was another way of serving justice in a corrupt world. She had felt a twinge of superiority with her proper 2070’s conduct, and wanted to reintroduce it to the world, though that sometimes meant getting her hands dirty. She looked down at the grey gloves before shaking the thoughts away.

“Okay, hold up- no. Who are you? Who do you work for? And why do you keep following…” Her annoyed expression turned to terror. “No...” she whispered.

“No,” he reassured her with outstretched hands. “I’m not with the Institute. That’s not why I want the synths, and that’s not why I’m following you.”

Relief washed over her, yet the paranoia of having been followed was still upon her. She had so many questions, but suspected none of them would be answered that evening.

“I’ll admit, though, it’s thanks to you taking out his leg that I was able to apprehend him.” He offered her a partial answer. “We deal in the rehabilitation of synths and I’ve been watching you out of curiosity. When you first took up the Shroud persona, I thought you were gonna get yourself killed, but you can clearly handle yourself. It’s not about your safety anymore.”

She couldn’t let him know the tug of guilt on her heart for not considering Kent’s sources’ credibility before opening fire on strangers Kent had claimed were wrongdoers. She did, however, try to convince them to stand down and stop their dastardly deeds before pulling her weapon, with which none of them complied. “I’m not going to take the time to ask if someone’s a synth or not before I get shot, and they might not even know they’re a synth anyway.”

“At least you know a bit about synths.”

“I happen to be friends with one.”

“And what would Valentine say about your little Shroud operation?”

“How-?” She made an annoyed face. She refused to answer, on account of admitting her wrongs was not her favorite activity.

“Nick would want all the facts,” he said for her, moving his hand as if he were pulling the answer from her.

As she thought about the situation and how she might move forward, Nora’s eyes wandered the alleyway before settling on his sunglasses. He was looking right at her, the corners of his mouth weighed down heavily. Steam from a warehouse drifted overhead and pockets of hot air would float around her. She attributed her warm face to this.

“What?” she asked, annoyed with his stare. He raised his brows and lifted his upper lip a bit as he shook his head and shrugged. “Well, if you’re done, the Shroud has business to attend.” Nora grabbed the tail of her trenchcoat and whipped it in front of her face before fleeing the scene, snagging her hat from the man’s head on her way out of the alley.

He watched her wisp away as a wave of warm steam floated over his body. “See ya, Nora.”


	2. Chapter 2

Nora lay on the hotel bed on her back, a pillow over her face. It was around four in the morning. After a disgruntled moan and without looking up, she nudged Nick, who was still inactive in the chair, with her foot. The detective’s eyes slowly regained their glow and he straightened in his seat. Nick looked over to his companion and examined her for a moment.

“What are you wearing?”

She only moaned.

“Nora… Are you the Silver Shroud?”

She took the pillow from her face and flung it at Nick with a grunt. He put up an arm and the pillow fell to the side. “I don’t understand,” he said.

“I’m the Shroud, and I’m a sham!” she whined, rolling over and hiding her face in the crook of her arm.

“You’re the one who’s been beating up people in the alleys of Goodneighbor?”

“That’s me,” she said with feigned pride.

Nick opened his mouth and glanced around the grotty room as if he were looking for words. “Well… Could you not do that?”

“I know,” she griped. “I’m an animal.” Something that sounded like exaggerated crying came from under the mess of hair that covered her face. Nick extended an arm to pat her leg which hung over the bed, but decided against it. “For all the good you do for the Minutemen, I’m sure you have your reasons for taking up the Shroud persona.”

Nora turned her head to him and blew the hair from her face. With a sad brow and glistening eyes, she nodded. Sitting up in a huff, she said, “I did give them a chance to renounce their evils.”

“That’s… good.”

“But I’ve come to the conclusion- all on my own because I’m very thoughtful, you know,” she said, at which Nick nodded to humor her, “that I need a partner.”

“A partner? I thought you were going to say you were giving it up.”

“Give up? On Goodneighbor?” She sat up and swept her hair over the top of her head. “This city needs a hero, and we must answer its call!!”

“We?” Nick cringed and put a hand on his face. “Nora, kid, I’m not interested in any more fighting than we already do, and especially in a rough town like Goodneighbor.”

Nora gasped. “Don’t be selfish, Nick,” she scolded. His yellow eyes narrowed. “And anyway, we’ll approach it from an angle now. It’ll be just like the original Nick Valentine’s glory days of investigating. Ask questions first, then shoot,” she said, much to her own chagrin.

“And what if they don’t feel like talkin’?”

“We’ll be okay! We always are. We make a great team.”

“What if I don’t want to be a team?”

“You turn your back on this city in its hour of need,” she hopped off the bed and stood beside Nick, facing the door. She popped the collar of the coat. “And it’ll do the same to you.”

“Y’know, I think I’m okay with that,” Nick said as he stood too and smoothed the fabric on his pants. “Look me up in Diamond City when you’re ready to travel again.”

“Niiiick,” she whined, turning back around and tugging his arm.

“It’s a fool’s errand and you’re gonna get yourself killed.”

“Help me, Nick!” She tightened her grip on his arm.

“No!”

* * *

Two weeks later, back in a room at the Hotel Rexford, Nora adjusted the sleeves of her silver trenchcoat. A dusty mirror hung by the door and she placed the hat on while admiring how she looked under it.

“Give me the facts, Synthetic Man!”

“It’s enough that I’m coming along for this stupid charade. Can you not use that nickname? It’s not even the one I settled on.”

“It sounds way cooler than the 'Debonair Detective' and you know it.”

“I _**am**_ a synthetic man! Your codename can’t just be 'the Human Woman!'”

“It isn’t- it’s the Silver Shroud!” she announced in her character’s voice, fists on her hips. “Now, read me the evidence so I can decide if we need to tackle this the hard way.” A fluorescent light buzzed overhead and her face was half-covered in the shadow of her hat’s brim. A smile that worried Nick crossed Nora’s face in the mirror as she cracked her knuckles.

The detective rolled his glowing eyes and shook his head as he flipped open a notepad from his trenchcoat pocket. “Asa Sanders is a 42-year-old serving on the Neighborhood Watch. Connolly said he’s been seen taking supplies from the town hall. I investigated Kent’s source, who was initially anonymous, and found out it was another Watch member who had been seen slipping a note under Kent’s door at the Memory Den. Probably just caught Sanders stealing and noticed his pockets were a little heavier with caps lately. Doesn’t seem to be any beef between them otherwise, from my asking around.”

“Excellent work. What else?”

Nick flipped the page of the spiral notebook. “No history of violence outside of the usual Watch nonsense. His storeroom guard duty starts at midnight and he’ll be the only one there, so it’ll be a good place to confront him.”

“And he’s definitely not a synth, right?” Nora asked.

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Oh. Nothing,” she lied. She didn't want to run into the man from her last visit to Goodneighbor. She imagined his cool expression as he reprimanded her for arresting a potential synth. She imagine his soft lips delivering annoying words she was probably going to ignore. She imagined his strong hands wagging fingers at her in scolding. She imag- She shook her head violently as she forced the thoughts away and stuck out her tongue in disgust hoping Nick didn't see. “Just thought it might be a sensitive case for you is all.”

“A person's a person; a thief’s a thief,” he replied.

“Right,” she agreed. “Well, let’s bust this baddy!”

Nick joined Nora at the mirror where she held out a bandana. Nick shook his head and closed her hand around the fabric. No disguise would help him if he were caught on this job, and he wasn’t interested in dressing the part in this crude game. Nora shrugged and pulled her silver scarf over her nose before exiting the room with her partner.


	3. Chapter 3

Nick and Nora managed to leave the hotel without being seen by anyone but Buddy the bartending robot who offered them a drink. Nora waved him away but decided she might take him up on the offer later if the night’s activities went smoothly. Rufus Rubins was asleep on a sofa by the door, meant to be watching for incoming guests. He roused when the door creaked closed after the pair had creeped out, but fell immediately back to sleep, holding a cushion tightly.

“You at it again?” A member of the Neighborhood Watch was leaning on the wall of the Old State House.

Nora only gave a hearty nod as she moved past him and through the door. Nick tipped his hat casually, knowing it was no good to try and mask his involvement. The Watch member only smirked.

Inside, the main floor of the State House was bare. Nick and Nora stepped towards the spiral stairs. Flickering candles lined the otherwise empty display cases. The wood floors creaked with age, but there was no mistaking feet moving across the floor above. Nora imagined Fahrenheit, Hancock’s bodyguard, was keeping watch over the mayor’s quarters. Nora slunk against a wall, a worried face under her scarf. The last thing she wanted was to get caught policing the city by that woman, or Hancock for that matter, even if she was truly doing them a favor.

Nick did not follow suit, but stood out in the middle of the floor. Nora pointed to a short hallway to her right which opened into a den. The detective nodded, telling her the storeroom was that way. The two moved towards it, Nora stealthily and Nick strolling as if it were a sunny day in the park.

As they stepped into the room, a door to one side of it opened. Nora moved to the door and a man backed right into her as he closed it. He turned around, shocked, and clutched tightly whatever was in his arms. “Guh! The Silver Shroud!”

“That’s right.” Scarf still tucked over her nose, Nora squinted in the dim light. She apprehended the man by his yellow jacket’s collar and shoved him against the door.

“Easy,” Nick said behind her.

“Asa Sanders,” Nora began in the voice of the Shroud. “Will you renounce your evils and seek to right your wrongs against Goodneighbor?”

“L-lady, I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His eyes were wide with surprise.

“No?” Nora asked, taking up an item from the man’s crossed arms. “What were you planning to do with this X-cell?”

Asa Sanders wiggled to try to free himself without use of his hands, to no avail. Nora’s grip was tight around one side of his collar and she held the inhaler towards his face. “Chems are legal in Goodneighbor,” he said. “Everyone knows that. I was gonna use it after my shift.”

“Do you always hit 20 chems after work?” She motioned to the pile of drugs in his arms.

He stuttered for a moment and looked around desperately. “I was just going to,” he started before dropping the chems from his arms, whipping open his jacket, and pulling a pistol from his belt.

Nick reacted quickly, pulling out his own pistol and firing before Sanders even saw him reach for his gun behind Nora. Two silenced shots in his right arm dropped Sanders’s weapon to the floor. Nora slapped a hand over his mouth before his cry could reach the ears of Fahrenheit or anyone else. Sanders slid to the ground, back against the door of the storeroom and Nora followed him down to keep him quiet.

From her crouched position, she said as the Shroud, “Should you return your stolen goods and find a way to give your past proceeds back to Goodneighbor, I see no reason Mayor Hancock need get wind of your activities.”

Sanders’s eyes welled with tears from the intense pain in his arm but he nodded gently behind Nora’s hand. She stood, releasing him. As the blood oozed under the arm of his jacket, the man’s heavy breathing turned shallow and he passed out, head rolling to one side.

Nora turned to her partner. “Nice going, Synthetic Sleuth,” she said, offering Nick a high five, which he reciprocated hesitantly.

“Now there’s a good nickname,” he smiled gently.

Suddenly, a door creaked in the entryway of the State House. Nora motioned for Nick to move behind her, with which he complied. Footsteps neared the entrance to their side room and in sauntered the man from the alley who had confronted Nora.

The sunglasses were there as always, along with a blue coat and a brown flat cap. His hands were in the coat pockets. He stepped coolly into the room, looking straight ahead at the desk and terminal against the far wall, then slowly turned his head and looked from Nora to Nick to the incapacitated Watchman.

“Okay, this is not what I had in mind,” he began. “I meant for you to give this up.”

Nora glared. “This city needs a hero, and we must answer its call!!” As she spoke, Nick mouthed the words, having heard them too many times in the past few weeks.

“And she dragged you into this too,” the man said, shaking his head at Nick.

“Ugh!” She fell back into a voice of severe disinterest in anything the man had to say. “Go away! He’s not a synth… probably.”

“There’s your problem- you can’t know. You don’t have the authority to take matters into your own hands like this and some synths are going to suffer as a result.”

“This cloak gives me authority to act while others stand by idly. The Commonwealth will know justice!”

“Is she always like this?”

“Only all the time,” Nick replied, stepping out from behind his partner.

“That’s it, it’s back to ‘Synthetic Man’ for you!” Nora barked at Nick. “Why are you even here?” she asked the stranger.

“Following you- what else?”

“I don’t believe we’ve had the pleasure,” the detective said to the stranger.

“Deacon.” He extended a hand and Nick shook it.

“You’re willing to tell him and not me??” Nora huffed and pulled her scarf down. “Look here, Mr. Deacon, I want you to stop following me and leave me to my work. I’m being very careful now to investigate before taking action, so you should be glad.”

“You told me you thought of that all on your own,” Nick reminded her. She waved him away with a hush.

“I guess we’ll play this the hard way,” Deacon said. “You stop the Silver Shroud business, or I’ll get Hancock involved.”

“You wouldn’t dare.” She crossed her arms.

Deacon’s lips curled upwards to one side before parting. He took in an audible deep breath and turned his head upward as if to shout towards the stairs for Fahrenheit. Nora seethed and flexed her hands to mock strangling him.

“Fine!” she said in a whispered shout. “Life is about compromise. You want to ensure synth safety and I want to see the Commonwealth cleaned up. How do we both get what we want?”

“Take up another cause. Help us rehabilitate synths. Make enough of an impact, and I’ll help you with your masked crusader game, though more tactfully. We can work with my people and ensure no synths come to harm.”

“I want to help everyone- not just synths.”

“In due time.”

“I think it’s a great idea, kid,” Nick said.

“Because you trust him?” Nora asked.

“What? No. I just met this person.” He looked to Deacon. “No offense, but you worry me almost as much as she does.” Deacon put up a hand and nodded as if to say ‘None taken.’ Nick continued, “It’s because I don’t want to be your sidekick every week and frankly, I’m not interested in seeing what Hancock’s bodyguard is gonna do to you when she catches you.”

The scowl on Nora’s face spoke for itself. She looked from Nick to Deacon and back again several times, a hum building up in her throat. “Fine!” she shouted, throwing her hands.

“Who’s there??” Fahrenheit shouted down the spiral stairs of the main room.


End file.
